No. 1 Bulldogs Lose Tiebreaker for First

Landy and Custo Greig (Photo Credit John Payne)

Mar 23, 2014

NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 1 Yale coed sailing team placed second at the Szambecki Team Race at Old Dominion, just losing the tiebreaker for first with St. Mary's. The Bulldogs also placed eighth at the Friis Team Race at Harvard, and 13th at Southern Series #1 at Salve Regina.

Strong breeze prevailed throughout the weekend in Norfolk, Va. at the Szambecki. With only eight top teams at the regatta and consistent wind, the race committee was able to complete three full round robins during the weekend.

Saturday's Southwesterly was very up and down, ranging from lulls at the end of the day nears eight knots to gusts up to 25 knots. Yale utilized all its crews, with skippers senior Chris Segerblom, junior Graham Landy and freshman Ian Barrows sailing with crews senior Eugenia Custo Greig, junior Katherine Gaumond, sophomore Charlotte Belling and freshman Meredith Megarry throughout the weekend. The Bulldogs sailed 16 races on day one, ending with an 11-5 record and putting them in a three-way tie for second place with College of Charleston and St. Mary's. Stanford sat in first.

Sunday's breeze was much steadier from the North, blowing approximately 20 knots with chop. With only five races left, the Bulldogs knew they had to put on a dominant performance to try for an overall win. The sailors put in their best effort, and won every race of the day, finishing the regatta with a 16-5 record. Going into the final race against Georgetown, the Bulldogs thought a win would guarantee a first place in the regatta, and however a re-sail between St. Mary's and Old Dominion changed the points in the end. Since Yale had lost to St. Mary's twice when the teams matched up previously, Yale lost the tiebreaker and finished second in the event.